Revolutionist
New Member
When departing pattern, can you take a 45 degree departure in the direction of traffic, then make a 360 degree turn to overfly the airport 500 feet above pattern?
6. If departing the traffic pattern, continue straight out, or exit with a 45 degree turn (to the left when in a left-hand traffic pattern; to the right when in a right-hand traffic pattern) beyond the departure end of the runway, after reaching pattern altitude.
No
AIM
get out of the traffic pattern firstHow would you depart if you needed to go in the direction opposite of upwind/straight-out/45-degree departure?
get out of the traffic pattern first
I;m sure someone is going to point it out so i might as well be the first. The AIM is not regulatory. There is really no one LEGAL way to enter or exit a traffic pattern.
If you do it the way you described you won't get in trouble as long as you don't like collide with another airplane. Then if that happens I'm sure the 91.13 you get hit with is going to be the least of your concerns.
This is another point. If you are on a downwind and say 100 feet low are you still in the traffic pattern?At what point are you no longer in the traffic pattern?
500 feet above pattern altitude is what all the examiners I have worked with like, though I know of nothing specified.At what point are you no longer in the traffic pattern?
500 feet above pattern altitude is what all the examiners I have worked with like, though I know of nothing specified.
The reason I say no is this:
Sure there is no specific regulation, but its a courtesy thing.
I operate out of a class G airport with all kinds of traffic coming and going, many of which don't even have a radio, let alone use them. Often times this traffic does not adhere to the proscribed pattern. It causes major problems when you are entering a downwind and some dude is pulling a chandelle off the runway right into you (its happened to me).
Its about predictability, that guy taking off is going to climb straight ahead, turn a predictable crosswind and remain in the pattern or leave as prescribed. If he does something different, the guy without the radio wont know, and the guy announcing an early turn might not see the traffic entering or already in the pattern; or vice versa.
I'm not saying its illegal, I'm saying its jackass.
In a tower controlled environment, when I request t/o clearance I add after-t/o intention (cardinal heading/departure heading/closed traffic etc.) and receive direction: (make straight out, make left or right downwind departure, make right/left closed traffic etc.) If I wasn't sure how to get to where I wanted to go, then I'd ask. Whatever, you can't just go wherever you want to in tower controlled airspace.
If in uncontrolled I follow the traffic pattern in use and depart on the appropriate leg. Instead of a 270 base leg departure I'd overfly midfield from the downwind.
ps didn't you mean a 225 degree turn after the 45? 360 would take you right back where you were already headed.
But who would collect the fee?While were at it, put a user fee on it too.
That could be interesting considering that the normal piston TPA is 800 or 1000 feet AGL and turbine aircraft pattern altitude is 1500 feet AGL.500 feet above pattern altitude is what all the examiners I have worked with like, though I know of nothing specified.